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Mark 12
New International Version
Mark 12
New International Version
The Parable of the Tenants(A)
12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard.(B) He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all,(C) saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;(D)
11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?”(E)
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd;(F) so they left him and went away.(G)
Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar(H)
13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians(I) to Jesus to catch him(J) in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax[b] to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”(K)
And they were amazed at him.
Marriage at the Resurrection(L)
18 Then the Sadducees,(M) who say there is no resurrection,(N) came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.(O) 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection[c] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures(P) or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.(Q) 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[d]?(R) 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
The Greatest Commandment(S)
28 One of the teachers of the law(T) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f](U) 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g](V) There is no commandment greater than these.”
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.(W) 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(X)
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”(Y) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.(Z)
Whose Son Is the Messiah?(AA)(AB)
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,(AC) he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?(AD) 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,(AE) declared:
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”
The large crowd(AG) listened to him with delight.
Warning Against the Teachers of the Law
38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.(AH) 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
The Widow’s Offering(AI)
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put(AJ) and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”(AK)
Footnotes
- Mark 12:11 Psalm 118:22,23
- Mark 12:14 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens
- Mark 12:23 Some manuscripts resurrection, when people rise from the dead,
- Mark 12:26 Exodus 3:6
- Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord
- Mark 12:30 Deut. 6:4,5
- Mark 12:31 Lev. 19:18
- Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1
Mark 12
Wycliffe Bible
Mark 12
Wycliffe Bible
12 And Jesus began to speak to them in parables. A man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and delved a lake, and builded a tower [and built a tower], and hired it to earth-tillers, and went forth in pilgrimage.
2 And he sent to the earth-tillers in time a servant, to receive of the earth-tillers of the fruit of the vineyard.[a]
3 And they took him, and beat him, and let him go void [and left him void].
4 And again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and tormented him [and punished him with chidings, or reprovings].
5 And again he sent another, and they slew him, and others more, beating some, and slaying others. [And again he sent another, and they killed him, and others more, and they beat some, soothly they killed others.]
6 But yet he had a most dear-worthy son, and he sent him last to them, and said [Therefore yet he having one son most dear-worthy, and to them he sent him the last, saying], Peradventure they shall dread [with reverence] my son.
7 But the earth-tillers said together [said to themselves], This is the heir; come ye, slay we him, and the heritage shall be ours.
8 And they took him, and killed him, and casted [cast] him out without the vineyard.
9 Then what shall the lord of the vineyard do [What therefore shall the lord of the vinery do]? He shall come, and destroy [and lose] the earth-tillers, and give the vineyard to others.
10 Whether ye have not read this scripture, The stone which the builders have despised, this is made into the head of the corner?
11 This thing is done of the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes.
12 And they sought to hold him, and they dreaded the people; for they knew that to them he said this parable; and they left him, and they went away.
13 And they sent to him [And they send to him] some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to take him in word.
14 Which came, and said to him [Which coming say to him], Master, we know that thou art soothfast, and reckest not of any man; for neither thou beholdest into the face of any man, but thou teachest the way of God in truth. Is it leaveful that tribute be given to the emperor [Is it leaveful to give tribute to Caesar], or we shall not give?
15 Which witting their privy falseness, said to them, What tempt ye me [What tempt ye me, hypocrites]? bring ye to me a penny, that I [may] see.
16 And they brought to him. And he said to them [And he saith to them], Whose is this image, and the writing above? And they say to him, The emperor's [They say to him, Caesar's].
17 And Jesus answered and said to them, Then yield ye to the emperor those things that be the emperor's; and to God those things that be of God. And they wondered of him. [Forsooth Jesus answering said to them, Therefore yield ye to Caesar those things that be of Caesar, and to God, those things that be of God. And they wondered on him.]
18 And Sadducees, that say that there is no resurrection, came to him, and asked him, and said,[b]
19 Master, Moses wrote to us, that if the brother of a man were dead, and left his wife, and have no sons [and left no sons], his brother [shall] take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.
20 Then seven brethren there were [Therefore seven brethren were]; and the first took a wife, and died, and left no seed.
21 And the second took her, and died, and neither he left seed. And the third also.
22 And in like manner the seven took her, and left no seed. And the woman the last of all died. [And seven took her, and left no seed. And the woman last of all is dead.]
23 Then [Therefore] in the resurrection, when they shall rise again, whose wife of these shall she be? for seven had her to wife.
24 And Jesus answered, and said to them, Whether ye err not therefore, that ye know not [the] scriptures, neither the virtue of God?[c]
25 For when they shall rise again from death, neither they shall wed, nor shall be wedded, but they shall be as angels of God in heavens.[d]
26 And of dead men, that they rise again, have ye not read in the book of Moses, on [upon] the bush, how God spake to him, and said [saying], I am God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob?
27 He is not God of dead men, but [God] of living men; therefore ye err much.
28 And one of the scribes, that had heard them disputing together, came nigh, and saw that Jesus had well-answered them, and asked him[e], which was the first commandment of all.
29 And Jesus answered to him, That the first commandment of all is, Hear thou, Israel, thy Lord God is one God;[f]
30 and thou shalt love thy Lord God of all thine heart, and of all thy soul, and of all thy mind, and of all thy might [and thou shalt love the Lord thy God of all thine heart, and of all thy soul, and of all thy mind, and of all thy virtue, or strength]. This is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like to this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said to him, Master, in truth thou hast well said; for one God is, and there is none other, except him;
33 [and] that he be loved of all the heart, and of all the mind, and of all the understanding, and of all the soul, and of all the strength, and to love the neighbour as himself, is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices [and to love thine neighbour as himself, is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices].
34 And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And then no man durst ask him more any thing [And now no man durst ask him more].
35 And Jesus answered and said, teaching in the temple, How say [the] scribes, that Christ is the son of David?
36 For David himself said in the Holy Ghost, the Lord said to my Lord, Sit [thou] on my right half, till I put thine enemies the stool of thy feet. [Forsooth David himself said in the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right half, till I put thine enemies a stool of thy feet.]
37 Then if David himself calleth him Lord, how then is he his son [Therefore David himself sayeth him Lord, and whereof is he his son]? And much people gladly heard him.
38 And he said to them in his teaching, Be ye ware of scribes, that will wander in stoles [that will go in stoles], and be saluted in [the] market,
39 and sit in synagogues in the first chairs [and sit in the first chairs in synagogues], and in the first sitting places in suppers;
40 which devour the houses of widows under [the] colour of long prayer; they shall take the longer doom [these shall take longer doom, either damnation].
41 And Jesus sitting against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury; and many rich men casted many things [and many rich cast many things].
42 But when a poor widow was come [Soothly when a poor widow had come], she cast two minutes, that is, a farthing.
43 And he called together his disciples, and said to them [and saith to them], Truly I say to you, that this poor widow cast more than all, that cast into the treasury.
44 For all they cast of that thing that they had plenty of; but this of her poverty cast all things that she had, all her livelode [but this of her mis-ease sent all things that she had, all her lifelode].
Footnotes
- Mark 12:2 And he sent to the earth-tillers in time a servant, that he should receive of the fruit of the vineyard of the earth-tillers.
- Mark 12:18 And Sadducees, that say that no rising again is, come to him, and they asked him, saying,
- Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering said to them, Whether ye err not therefore, not knowing the scriptures, neither the virtue of God?
- Mark 12:25 Forsooth when they shall rise again from dead, neither they wed, nor be wedded, but they shall be as angels of God in heaven.
- Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes, that had heard them seeking together, came nigh, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him
- Mark 12:29 Forsooth Jesus answered him, That the first of all commandments is, Hear, Israel, the Lord thy God is one God;
Mark 12
English Standard Version
Mark 12
English Standard Version
The Parable of the Tenants
12 (A)And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted (B)a vineyard (C)and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and (D)leased it to tenants and (E)went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant[a] to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 (F)And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 (G)Again (H)he sent to them another servant, and (I)they struck him on the head and (J)treated him shamefully. 5 (K)And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, (L)a beloved son. (M)Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, (N)‘This is the heir. Come, (O)let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and (P)threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? (Q)He will (R)come and destroy the tenants and (S)give the vineyard to others. 10 (T)Have you not read (U)this Scripture:
(V)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[b]
11 this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And (W)they were seeking to arrest him (X)but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they (Y)left him and went away.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 (Z)And they sent to him some of (AA)the Pharisees and some of (AB)the Herodians, to (AC)trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, (AD)we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For (AE)you are not swayed by appearances,[c] but truly teach (AF)the way of God. Is it lawful to pay (AG)taxes to (AH)Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing (AI)their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why (AJ)put me to the test? Bring me (AK)a denarius[d] and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said to them, (AL)“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.
The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
18 And (AM)Sadducees came to him, (AN)who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (AO)if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man[e] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because (AP)you know neither the Scriptures nor (AQ)the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither (AR)marry nor (AS)are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, (AT)have you not read in (AU)the book of Moses, in (AV)the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, (AW)‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
The Great Commandment
28 (AX)And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, (AY)‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, (AZ)the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 (BA)The second is this: (BB)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment (BC)greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that (BD)he is one, and (BE)there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all (BF)the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, (BG)is much more than all (BH)whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (BI)And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Whose Son Is the Christ?
35 (BJ)And as (BK)Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that (BL)the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, (BM)in the Holy Spirit, declared,
(BN)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies (BO)under your feet.”’
37 David himself calls him Lord. So (BP)how is he his son?” And the great throng (BQ)heard him gladly.
Beware of the Scribes
38 (BR)And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and (BS)the places of honor at feasts, 40 (BT)who devour widows' houses and (BU)for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
The Widow's Offering
41 (BV)And he sat down opposite (BW)the treasury and watched the people (BX)putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two (BY)small copper coins, which make a penny.[f] 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, (BZ)this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her (CA)poverty has put in everything she had, all (CB)she had to live on.”
Footnotes
- Mark 12:2 Or bondservant; also verse 4
- Mark 12:10 Greek the head of the corner
- Mark 12:14 Greek you do not look at people's faces
- Mark 12:15 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Mark 12:19 Greek his brother
- Mark 12:42 Greek two lepta, which make a kodrantes; a kodrantes (Latin quadrans) was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day's wage for a laborer)
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
2001 by Terence P. Noble
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.